Funeral costs

The Prime Ministers Spokesman (PMS) provided an update on the costs of Lady Thatcher’s funeral. He told journalists that the estimated cost of the funeral to the public purse was 1.6 million. Of this, around 500,000 related to ceremonial costs, (including costs associated with the service at St Paul’s Cathedral, the Mansion House reception, and with the printing and circulation of invitations), and 1.1 million related to additional policing and security costs.

The opportunity costs for policing i.e. the costs for police officers who would have been on duty anyway, were around 2 million. Asked whether the estimate included the opportunity cost of troops, the PMS said that it did not.

He also said that Lady Thatcher’s family made an additional financial contribution to pay for the undertaking costs and for the flowers. The PMS said final figures would be published before the Summer recess.

I would have thought the true cost in terms of lost working time would have been massively higher than this figure.

I do think it is important to recognise the passing of our leaders in some way. I would be interested to know what the plans are for John Major and the three following prime ministers. Do we return to the approach for Edward Heath and James Callaghan or is Margaret Thatcher’s the new norm?

Lord Bell, a spokesman for the Thatcher family, said: “All the abuse that was hurled has no foundation. It is remarkably low cost for this most extraordinary event. It increased the standing of Britain in the world and was extremely good value.”